I’m an avid reader of sci-fi books by authors: Jules Verne and Emily Rhoda and movie fan of Star Wars and Star Trek. From the age of seven, I was enthralled by TV series Lost in Space, Superman, Jetsons, Thunder Birds and Get Smart. My favourite school magazine story in Grade 6 was about the IT, a mysterious fantasy creature, whom a family of children discovered living in their sandpit.

2 Can you tell us a little more about how Jo-Kin was created?

I created Jo-Kin Battles the It (Super Space Kids #1) as a comedic escape from writing a trauma memoir on my recovery from parent-teacher bullying and mental illness. (Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness.) When super geek Jo-Kin zoomed across the cosmos battling gruesome monsters and killer robots, he could save the galaxy and be the hero in his own life. Writing humour and fantasy became my coping skill. The ending of the story was inspired by an intriguing calendar picture of a boy landing on a desolate planet, clutching a suitcase. I then developed the story ‘backwards’ leading up to that scene.

3. Is this a standalone novel, or just the start of many more? If the latter, can you giveus a sneaky peek into what might come next?

Jo-Kin Battles the It (Super Space Kids #1) is Book 1 of the Super Space Kids series. In Book 2 Lord Terra is hell-bent on destroying the galaxy and the super space kids. He kidnaps Pandora (Commander Nova’s sister) and the junior space team. Can Jo-Kin save the galaxy before it’s too late?

4. Does this book have a message, similar to your previous work?

Both books have powerful messages to empower kids to live strong and become heroes in their own lives. Strong messages of resilience, perseverance, team-work and brain power are entwined in a hilarious action packed space adventure novel. Science, curiosity and problem solving themes are also curriculum based.

Fantastic! Sounds amazing! To top this off, here's a little more info about the book and where you can buy it, plus a cheeky giveaway!

Jo-Kin Battles the It Book GiveawayWin a signed copy of Jo-Kin Battles the It OR one of four eBooks of Jo-Kin Battles the It OR signed artwork from the illustrator, Trevor Salter. For a chance to WIN please like Karen’s Super Space Kids book series page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SuperSpaceKids andPlease leave a comment on any of the above Blog stops 19-30 Oct. Winners announced in November. Good luck J

Where to buy Jo-Kin Battles the ItJo-Kin Battles the It is available direct from the author, from Amazon, LSI, Fishpond and book shops such as Riverbend in Brisbane, Dymocks: Penrith, Carindale, Garden City. Angus & Robertson: Victoria Point & Post Office Square, Mary Ryans Milton. MORE stores coming soon.

I am absolutely beyond excited to bring you my second cover reveal for Lakewater Press! In the Blood by R.L. Martinez, an incredibly addictive and dark epic fantasy (first in the series) coming to you early next year, first crossed my path about a year ago, and I love it more now than I did then. It's an amazing book. And this cover is beautiful. Again, all the credit must go to E.L. Wicker aka the rock star creative genius.

Here we go...(Look for the detail in the eye!)

I KNOW! Bootiful! Here's the blurb...

In the Blood by R.L. Martinez

The war may have ended, but a new battle begins for disgraced prisoner-of-war, Ottilde Dominax. Dreams of her witchbreed twin are visions of death and betrayal. Driven by their grim warning, she escapes her captors and races across nations to save her sister.

But she may arrive too late…

The WitchAs one of the hated and feared, Lady Oriabel Dominax has kept her healing magic secret while she cares for her family's struggling estate. But the arrival of a new lord hiding secrets of his own, the discovery of a dark and addictive magic and threats from a cruel blackmailer push her closer to disaster.

Through it all, the Witch’s Tree calls…

So good!

And here's a bit about the author...

Being a stay-at-home mom is probably the hardest job Robin’s ever had (and that’s after working at places like Goodwill, MCL Cafeteria, and Captain D’s). Her house is never clean! No matter how many dishes she does or toys she picks up, her two little ones come right behind her and make a whole new mess. Anyway, this is the first time she hasn’t had some sort of job outside the home since she was fifteen. Kinda scary!Now that her kids have both started all-day school, she can fling herself into the stories that constantly swirl inside her head. One of the main reasons she writes is to read books that she wishes other people were writing.She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, two small sons, two naughty canines, and a mouse-killing cat.

It's a super special day for me. As the editorial director at Lakewater Press, I personally acquired Poor Boy Road, and now here I am, about to reveal it's cover. I fell in love with Jake Caldwell from the first time I ever read this book, and I hope you guys will too when it's released next March.

As a mob enforcer, Jake 'The Fixer' Caldwell is in the dark business of breaking kneecaps and snapping bones. But each job sends him one step closer to turning into the man he swore he’d never become - his violent and abusive father. Leaving the mob is easier said than done. When his boss offers a bloody way out, Jake has no choice but to take it, even if it means confronting ghosts of old.

Arriving in his Lake of the Ozarks hometown, Jake has two things on his mind: kill ruthless drug lord Shane Langston and bury his dying father. What he doesn’t expect is to fall in love all over again and team up with his best friend Bear, the Sheriff of Benton County, to take Langston down. Racing through the countryside searching for Langston, the web of murder, meth and kidnapping widens, all pointing toward a past Jake can’t escape and a place he never wanted to return - Poor Boy Road.

About the Author...

﻿James L. Weaver is the author of the forthcoming Jake Caldwell thrillers, Poor Boy Road and Ares Road. He makes his home in Olathe, Kansas with his wife of eighteen years and two children. His previous publishing credits include a six-part story called “The Nuts” and his 5-star rated debut novel Jack & Diane. Author note: a handful of those who’ve rated it are actually not related to him!

His limited free time is spent writing into the wee hours of the morning, playing parental taxi cab to his kids’ sporting endeavours, and binge watching Netflix.

A Friday-Nights-Lights-esque NA novel that twists together the stories of a quarterback with a life-altering secret, an unlikely couple, and an ambitious college reporter, whose decision to break the rules for one steamy night lands her in the middle of her university's biggest scandal.During welcome week at Hillson University, the FROSH will hit the fan.

Type A aspiring journalist Ellie plans to take freshman year by storm. But hell-bent on breaking a huge on-campus scandal, she risks becoming a scandal herself—and getting the mysterious, heart-melting QB in serious trouble.Grant, star quarterback and charismatic chick-magnet, is hiding a life-altering secret. The last thing he needs is an overeager (absolutely adorable) journalist asking questions. He’ll be damned, but he’s got a reputation to protect.High-society legacy student Devon, is ready to kick ass and catch the football hottie of her dreams. If the tabloids feature her with the “it” boy on her arm, her tainted past will be buried—or so she thinks.Charlie, pre-med, is done being the sweet and funny guy that girls like Devon ignore. He’ll be edgy and spontaneous, and his logic better works, or else his heart will end up in the trauma ward.

Today Michelle Hauck and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for GRUDGING, Birth of Saints Book One series which releases November 17, 2015! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win a copy if the eBook!

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street, and Sun versus Snow.

Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge.

Today, I am delighted to welcome a fellow Aussie children's author Di Bates to the blog and help celebrate the release of her TWO new books! The covers are gorgeous and I shall certainly be buying copies for my children!

Please tell readers about your new books.

Awesome Animals (Big Sky Publishing) is an entertaining new non-fiction animal series for kids - a Guinness Book of Records meets Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Awesome Cats and Awesome Dogs, the first two books in the series, are each an entertaining new read -- a Guinness Book of Records meets Ripley’s Believe It or Not! which features fascinating stories about animals from all over the world. As well, there are relevant book lists, jokes and even humorous animal verses. Each beautifully styled book contains true stories and amazing photographs and quirky, illustrated break-out boxes, introduced by funny cartoon animal characters. The book is best suited for children aged 8 to 11 years, but there’s no doubt older readers will love the books, too.

What are the books about?

Each of the books is a miscellany of fun facts and stories about real-life cats and dogs. As well, there are poems and jokes and a list of children’s books featuring cats and dogs. Before writing these books I searched for something similar, but found nothing. Yes, there are books about cats and dogs, but the presentation of content in the awesome books is unique. Take cats, for example: in Awesome Cats there are hundreds of short stories about cats in history, cat adventures, famous cats and famous people’s cats, working cats, spoilt cats, and cats in fiction and in TV, on stage and in movies. Here’s just a little ‘teaser’ from the book: ‘In 1976 a mystery cat in Hong Kong killed more than 20 dogs. According to local people it was about four feet long and black or gray in color. It was never caught.’ Imagine that, a dog-killing cat; certainly not a lap cat!

How did the idea for this series come about?

As a full-time, professional children’s author, I am always searching for an idea which will result in a book that any child would love to read. The three books in the Awesome Animals series are dogs, cats and horses (Awesome Horses will be published in 2016): it would be impossible, I’m sure, to find one of these animals that any child didn’t love, much less cherish. I started researching stories about dogs, first as I’m a real dog lover. Before long, I was finding amazing dog stories everywhere! Here are just a few famous dogs, for example, whose stories are told in Awesome Dogs: Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Old Yeller, Bullet, Scooby Doo and Benji. I just love dogs and really miss our last beloved dog, Sassy; she has been irreplaceable since she died two years ago of old age.

Today is a very special day. Very special. I would like congratulate my wonderful author friend Eliza Nolan on the release of her debut YA novel, Phoenix Awakens. Such a great book, and as Eliza's editor, I know how much love and hard work has gone into it.

Check out the details...

A paranormal debut about a high school senior who finds herself in a fight with a secret society for control of ancient magic.

Julia never believed in magic.

Julia Long is starting her senior year with an extra dose of crazy. The dreams of cultish, bloody rituals are weird enough, but the victim in her lifelike dreams is her new classmate, Southern charmer Graham.

Graham admits he was a Phoenix — part of a centuries old secret society — but swears he left it all behind. As Julia works with Graham to figure out why she is dreaming about his past, she's discovering she has other abilities. She heals Graham’s migraines with a touch, and there’s her superhuman strength that comes and goes. Julia doesn’t know where her new talents come from, but there’s no denying that when Graham is near, her powers kick into overdrive.

But the Phoenix Society wants Graham back. They need his blood to awaken the magic they seek, and they'll do whatever it takes to get it.

Can Julia uncover the truth behind her connection to Graham? How far will Julia go in order to save Graham and stop the Phoenixes from harnessing this powerful magic?

Massive congratulations, Eliza! You deserve all the champagne and chocolate today. Go, go and scoff as much as you can. Oh, and do some writing because I cannot wait for book 2.

The first book Chameleon was fantastic. And the second in the Domino Project series is nearly here! Yippee! But today, it's cover reveal time. With a twist... Ready? Here is a puzzle piece...

Hybrid is finally almost ready for release. S.P. McConnell worked magic again here.

Hybrid (The Domino Project #2) is the sequel to Chameleon. It's set in the wasteland of earth after a meteor shower causes ecological disaster, damages the atmosphere, and gives the gift of an alien parasite to the world. Book two furthers Sai, Bastian, and Dom's journey in their fight to live free from GNW imposed rules.

As Sai recovers from her life-threatening injuries, she struggles to piece together her damaged relationship with Dom. He fights the parasite within, suddenly freed from the interference of the other Dominos in his head.

Inside Central, Bastianâs Shine dosing has become a dangerous dance. Enhanced security protocols and endless meetings have him on a tightrope, with little room to move without revealing himself.When the GNW release the Damascus to begin their systemic hunt of the Exiled, the noose closes around the rebels and their allies. If they canât disable the threat, the Exiled wonât be the Damascusâ only agenda

Without further ado - here's a teaser of the cover by the amazingly talented S.P. McConnell.

Haven't read Chameleon? There's still time to catch up!

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.

When she's not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn't sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Note: Still searching for her Tardis

Celebration!

To celebrate, we're giving away a copy of books 1 & 2! With an Amazon e-card, and a SWAG pack!